LONDON GROVE — Interboro football coach Dennis Lux knows how tough his kids are, and so does Avon Grove head man Joe Coffey, a Bucs assistant coach for six seasons. Nothing that happened Friday changed their minds.
Despite moving up a couple classes and playing on the road, Interboro gutted out a 14-7 overtime victory over the Red Devils. Afterwards, both coaches focused in on the same aspect.
“They are tough kids at Interboro and our guys knew exactly what they were going to get tonight,” Coffey said.
“We have tough kids,” Lux added. “I have a great job because I have the toughest kids around. We pride ourselves on that.”
The win over Class 6A Avon Grove is potentially huge for the Bucs, who improve to 4-5 overall and are now back in the mix for a District 1 Class 4A playoff berth. Interboro entered the day sixth in the district power rankings, but is sure to move up.
“It was a playoff game for us,” Lux said. “We knew if we lost this game we wouldn’t make the 4A playoffs. Now, there is still a chance.”
The top four at the end of the regular season earn a playoff spot. The Bucs end the regular season at home against Penn Wood.
“We talked about it all week,” Lux said. “I’m not a coach that is afraid to look into the future because I want these kids to know their opportunity. Maybe they don’t play as hard thinking, ‘hey, we’re 3-5 and we can’t make the playoffs.’ I want them to know what is at stake.”
The Red Devils fall to 4-5 and the loss almost certainly extinguishes any postseason hopes.
“Credit to Interboro,” Coffey said. “It was a huge game for both teams.”
Deadlocked at 7-7, the Devils had a chance to win it at the end of regulation. A late 32-yard drive set up a 49-yard field goal try by Adam Okonowicz, and the senior’s kick was on target, but just short. It also came in very rainy conditions.
“It went right underneath the goal post,” Coffey said. “He was good from 53-yards before it started raining so we felt confident in him. He is a phenomenal kicker.”
In the OT, the Bucs hit a five-yard scoring toss from quarterback Mikey McLaughlin to senior receiver Nadir Ali, which wound up being the game winner.
“All season we’ve been kicking ourselves in the foot,” Lux said. “But that time we were able to come back and counter. It was a growing point for a very young team.”
On the Devils’ overtime possession, a second down pass to running back Harrison Watson would have probably tied the score, but it bounced off his outstretched hands. The game then ended, on third down, when Avon Grove quarterback Joey Marczely was picked off in the end zone by Interboro safety Robert Finnegan. The pass was intended for senior Moses T-Toe.
“Once they didn’t get much on the first two downs, I was expecting a pass,” Finnegan said. “I knew they were looking for an out route from watching film. I talked to my cornerback before the play, I said I have the out route.
“We know how to bounce back. We really had to lock in during the overtime. We had a goal-line stop early in the game so we knew we could do it again.”
The Bucs were actually outgained by 27 yards. But Ali had four catches for 48 yards, and the running duo of senior Tommy Receveur and freshman Momadu Rogers combined to gain 103 rushing yards on 27 attempts.
Watson led the way for the Devils with 141 yards on the ground, but wound up being more than 50 percent of his team’s total output.
The Bucs opened the game with an efficient 14-play drive that covered 80 yards and took eight minutes. Receveur covered the final two yards for the TD.
“That drive is Interboro football,” Lux said.
When Watson rambled 58 yards on Avon Grove’s first play from scrimmage, it provided a spark, but things soon fizzled and Watson was stopped by Interboro’s Aaron Keene on fourth down at the 4.
“That was huge. It really pushed our momentum forward,” Finnegan said.
